Sparks

Sparks 13

Chapter Thirteen:

The Slytherin Dungeons: the next morning

Marcus woke up with a start the next morning. His alarm was going off and had been for some time. The only reason he had even opened his eyes was the alarm had started to squirt cold water in his face. He groaned and rolled over in bed. He smiled into his pillow; he had been having the best dream about Katie.

"Get up you prat," said Tarquin insistently. "Marcus, you know how you get when you don't have breakfast. You're a git until lunch."

"No kidding," said Chris. "By the way, where the hell where you until dawn?"

Marcus sat up abruptly. "Merlin save me," thought Marcus. "That was not a dream!?" Suddenly, everything that happened last night flooded his memory at once. He remembered the feel of her soft skin, the warm water and her silky hair. He recalled how she looked in that amazing red nightgown and later how beautiful she was wearing nothing. Then he remembered the rest of the night.

"Marcus, you loon," said an annoyed Warrington. "What are you smiling at and who are you smiling at? The bed hangings perhaps?"

"That must have been a very relaxing bath you took last night, mate," said Tarquin innocently. "You were there an awfully long time."

"Hmmm..." murmured Marcus. "Yes, it was."

Marcus missed the grin Tarquin and Chris exchanged as he hurriedly got ready for class. Tarquin was right as usual. He hated missing breakfast. And today he was very hungry. He grinned to himself as the Slytherins made their way to the Great Hall. Just before they reached the front doors, Marcus heard his name called.

"Flint," said Madame Hooch. "Might I have a word?"

"Yes ma'am,' said Marcus easily. Nothing could make him mad today.

"Flint," said Hooch as she regarded Marcus warily. "Something has come up in regards to the switch in game schedules. It seems that you will need Diggory's consent as well as Wood's in order to switch games. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff will meet this weekend rather than Ravenclaw and Gryffindor that is if both parties agree. You will need to talk to both gentlemen."

"Yes ma'am," said Marcus as he nodded.

"Well then," said Hooch. "Carry on then." Madame Hooch was clearly mystified by Marcus's calm demeanor.

Marcus stood in the entrance hall and watch Madame Hooch walk away from him. He enjoyed her confusion in regards to his calm acceptance of the switch. Like a true Slytherin, he liked demolishing people's expectations and keeping people off balance.

He looked up at the stairway when he heard people coming down it in a hurry. His eyes collided with Katie's and he smiled. He could see her blush. She was behind a gang of Ravenclaws with no housemates in sight. He deliberately slowed down so the Ravenclaws passed him and he and Katie were walking side by side. When he was certain nobody was looking or coming behind him or her, he pulled her into a dim alcove. Hogwarts had a thousand of them.

"I'm glad I saw you walking all alone," whispered Marcus in her ear. He had pulled Katie into his arms the first moment he could. "It would have driven me mad if I couldn't touch you again until tonight. After all, we can't stare at each other in the Great Hall anymore. Someone besides Spinnet will notice."

"I've missed you," said Katie with a glint in her eye. She pulled Marcus into a hot open-mouthed passionate kiss. After they broke apart due to the lack of oxygen, Katie said, "Will you wait for me tonight? Oliver called a surprise practice."

"I'll wait for you outside the Gryffindor locker room," said Marcus. They reluctantly pulled apart. A final kiss and Marcus watched Katie enter the Great Hall. He followed a few discreet minutes later.

He sat down beside Tarquin and proceeded to fill his plate with a mountain of food. He was starving. Every now and again, he quickly looked over to the Gryffindor table and sneaked looks at Katie. He smiled down into his breakfast.

"Merlin Marcus," said Montague. "You are in a good mood today. Did Oliver Wood transfer to Beauxbatons, perhaps?"

"Hmm.." said Marcus. "I'm sorry Ty, what did you say?" Marcus was distracted. If he was not mistaken, Wood was now trying to chat Katie up. Then Tarquin kicked him under the table and he snapped out of it. Tarquin gave him a discreet glare then distracted the rest of the table.

"Have you heard," said Tarquin mournfully. "England's seeker has fallen off the wagon. It says in Quidditch Weekly that his girlfriend did a runner and he's drowning his sorrows in Firewhiskey. We are never going to be in the World Cup now."

"Clever, clever Tarquin," thought Marcus as the rest of the table started to talk Quidditch. He discreetly kept an eye on the Gryffindor table until breakfast was over. He was gratified to see that Katie was oblivious to Wood's attempts to chat her up. "I wonder if I could bribe one of the Hufflepuffs to accidentally knock that prat off his broom at the game this weekend. Yes, maybe Diggory would do it. Not that it would ever happen but I can dream can't I?"

Later, during his first class in History of Magic with the Hufflepuffs, Marcus idly watched as Tarquin flirted with the two Hufflepuff girls across from their shared desk. Tarquin looked like he was emerging from the Moira induced moratorium on flirting he had imposed on himself this year. "Good thing Binns was oblivious," thought Marcus. "Tarquin better not involve me in one of his harebrained double dates this year. Honestly, if he can't decide between the witches he should just date them both. Separately, of course. Tarquin was quite pervy but not that pervy."

Marcus turned his attention to Chris and Sarah sitting in front of them. Then he quickly decided not to, as he couldn't quite see where exactly Chris's hands were but judging from the blush on Sarah's face, he could take a guess. Talk about pervy.

Marcus decided to look out the window. It was safer that way. The stormy clouds and the drone of Binns voice made him drift off and think about Katie. Actually she had never been far from his mind lately anyway. Last night, he told Katie he loved her. He tried to shy away from the memory and not think about it but it was like trying to pretend a boggart was not in the room. You could look around it and not look directly at it but you were always aware that a boggart was there. His boggart was that he never told a girl he loved her before. Hell, he couldn't remember ever staying with a girl for ten minutes after having sex with her never mind two hours.

"But here's the rub," thought Marcus. "I didn't feel like I had sex with Katie, I felt like I had made love with her. I never before knew there was a difference." His heart had been pounding when he told her that he loved her. To tell the truth, he never really believed she would possibly love him back. He wasn't expecting her to tell him she loved him too and then to have her cry. She said she had been crying because she was happy.

Marcus thought back to what he wanted when he first decided to pursue Katie Bell. He wanted her heart, body and soul. Suddenly Marcus realized that having Katie came with a price. The price was his heart, body and soul. Marcus realized that at the end of this year, he couldn't go home and marry someone else. There was no way that he was going to let his father ruin the best thing in his life. He turned back to the lecture and got out some parchment. He had plans to make.

Tarquin turned and watched Marcus as he started to write things down on parchment. Seriously, he wasn't taking notes, was he? Tarquin got distracted when one of the Hufflepuffs he was flirting with dropped her quill and bent down to pick it up. "Merlin," thought a surprised Tarquin. "I can see right down her shirt." He was still looking; after all he was a guy, when she looked up into his eyes with a small knowing grin. "At the end of this class," thought Tarquin. "I'm going to find out her name."

At the end of the lecture, Marcus smirked to himself as Tarquin cornered one of the Hufflepuff girls he had been flirting with by the door. Quite by accident, he ran into Cedric Diggory by the blocked doorway.

"Diggory," said Marcus in that upper class clipped drawl that all Slytherins spoke with. Marcus knew the drawl tended to irritate all the other houses. That's why the Slytherins used it.

"Flint," said Cedric warily.

"Hooch wanted me to speak to you about the Quidditch schedule. It seems that we have a small problem. Malfoy is still injured and Hooch said if you were agreeable that Slytherin could switch game days with Hufflepuff."

"Malfoy's injured still, is he?" said Diggory with an air of disbelief.

"Yes," said Marcus blandly.

"The game is this weekend. It doesn't give my team much time."

"Yes, that is unfortunate," said Marcus. He gave a Diggory a look that said, 'Look here you prat, we both know that your team doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of beating Gryffindor at charades never mind Quidditch so just switch me and let's get this over with.'

"Yes, Hufflepuff will switch," said Diggory with a look that said, 'I know we'll never beat Gryffindor and I know you'll never say thank-you for this favor but what the hell. Besides, Slytherin's keeper couldn't defend the hoops if his life depended on it.'

"Diggory," said Marcus with a farewell nod as he left the now unblocked doorway.

"Flint," answered Cedric with one of his own nods.

Tarquin and a now Sarah-less Chris were waiting for Marcus while he spoke to Diggory outside the classroom.

"Seriously though Chris," said Tarquin as Marcus joined them. "Don't you just hate it when you forget a girl's name when you've been flirting with her for two hours. After she mentioned that we have been in the same History class for seven years, I was too embarrassed to ask her what her name was. Please ask your witch what her name is?"

"Merlin Tarquin," said Marcus. "Are you telling me you don't know her name?"

"Yes," said Chris. "Especially since Sarah mentioned that the girl can't stop talking about you since you snogged her this summer at some society ball or something. Tarquin, do you make it a habit to snog girls and not know their name?"

"Oh," said Tarquin. "So that's why she's been smiling at me since September. I'm trying to remember but I can't. The old man makes me go to those things as a sort of perverse punishment. He's punishing me for the fact he married a poor witch for love and ended up with a fortune hunting unfaithful harpy, but enough about my dear sweet mother. Is her name, Victoria?" asked Tarquin hopefully.

"Who," said Marcus. "Your mother?"

"No," said Tarquin. "Her name is Mary but she spells it Maire. She likes to think it gives her a sophisticated air. Did you know she's been having it off with Lucius Malfoy for the last year? Is her name Davina?"

"Malfoy," said Marcus. "He's like my father, I swear they've shared more than one mistress."

"Malfoy?" said Chris. "What do woman see in that man? It has to be the money. No offense Tarquin."

"None taken Chris," said Tarquin. "Maybe it's his hair. Is her name Rose?"

"Her name is Emma," said Marcus. "I've only been in that class for two months and I know her name. Tarquin, you've had your tongue in her mouth and have been in the same class for seven years, and you didn't know her name."

"Emma," said Tarquin. "Now I remember. And who says I've had my tongue in her mouth?" Tarquin looked at his mates as they gave him incredulous looks in return. "Okay, so I have but that doesn't make me a bad person."

It was NEWT study period in the Library but Marcus and his mates decided to push off and 'study' in their room. They passed a group of first year Slytherins in the Hallway and Marcus was surprised to see Tarquin greet a little blond girl. The girl blushed and stuttered her way through the small conversation Tarquin had with her. She kept on looking at a waiting Marcus and Chris with big eyes. After a few minutes Tarquin said his good-byes and the boys made their way to their room.

"Merlin," said Chris. "What was that about Tarquin? She's a tad young for you, don't you think? What's this about you buying her Ice Mice from Hogsmeade last week end."

"A little young is putting it mild, mate," said Marcus with a questioning look at Tarquin.

"Oh," said Tarquin quite nonchalantly. "Her name is Cassandra Jones; she's Circe's younger sister. I'm thinking of marrying her."

"What?!!" sputtered both Marcus and Chris.

"Well," said Tarquin. "Not right now. When she's older like eighteen or twenty, whenever. I have to marry someone. Why not a girl I can mold and since she's so young, I'll have a few years to sow my wild oats while waiting for her to grow up."

"Why don't you go for the older sister, Tarquin," said Marcus. "She's pretty."

"Don't you know Marcus?" said Tarquin with a shake of his head. "I could never marry Circe. It would be cruel because she's in love with one of my best mates. I wouldn't do that to her. She'd have to see you all the time."

"Oh," said a surprised Marcus. "I didn't know."

"Why don't you marry her Marcus," said Chris.

"Katie," said Marcus. "I love Katie."

"Oh yes, " said Tarquin. "Miss Bell, the forbidden Gryffindor chaser. You know, Marcus, the obstacles are pretty high and there is no guarantee that you can even scale them and have Bell, you know. I don't want to see you hurt by what you can't have. Sometimes, reality has a way of biting you on the ass."

"I know," said Marcus. "Maybe I won't be able to get around my family, inter-House rivalries or Quidditch, but I'm going to try. There's no harm in trying, Tarquin."

"What about Moira?" said Chris.

"I think the waltz with Moira is done, " said Tarquin. "She always reminded of someone I knew. Last weekend I realized she reminded me of my mother. She was always punishing me for who I was. And she used sex as a weapon. I realized that maybe my father had a point. Maybe I will make the same mistake he did. Maybe subconsciously, I am looking for my mother all over again in my girlfriend. Moira had a hold on me and it wasn't a good one."

Marcus and his mates sat quietly for a minute thinking about what they were not saying. Marcus felt Tarquin's pain. He had a feeling Tarquin may have felt more than he was letting on for the Ravenclaw girl. He and Chris exchanged a look. The flirting now made sense.

"Well enough about me and my so-called life," said Tarquin as he visibly shook off the air of sadness and perked up. "So, Marcus, I think that maybe you finally got to see what's under Bell's robes last night."

"Yes," said Chris. "You were in an awfully, how shall I put it, UN-frustrated mood this morning."

"I'm not telling you gits anything," said Marcus loftily. "Are you saying that I'm moody?"

"Please Marcus," said Chris. "You are the king of mood swings."

"Seriously," said Tarquin. "Since you've been doing whatever you and Bell do, please no mental pictures; your mood depends on whether or not you've seen her, snogged her or whatever. You've even fallen behind on reading Quidditch Weekly."

"I have?" said Marcus.

"People were starting to talk," said Tarquin. "By this time last year, you were on your third Quidditch groupie. Other Houses think that you are dating Circe Jones. The other Slytherins think you have a woman in Durmstrang. You may thank me, Chris and Ty for that rumour."

"You've never even noticed, have you?" said Chris.

"No, not really," said Marcus. "I really don't give a toss either. Sooner or later, other people are going to know about Katie anyway. I'm taking her to the Annual Yule Ball in London in December."

Well," said Chris. "You are taking this relationship to a new level. I haven't even asked Sarah. I'm not sure I want to inflict my entire family and a society ball on her at the same time. It would be mean. My evil, nosy sisters are hard to take. They mean well though."

The rest of the conversation centered on Quidditch and the nasty surprise Marcus had for Oliver Wood later on today. Just as they were on their way to deliver that surprise, Marcus casually mentioned that the room was his this Saturday night.

"Merlin Marcus," said Tarquin. "You don't think you are going to actually persuade Katie Bell to come to the dungeons after the game, do you?"

"No kidding," said Chris. "Besides, it's my turn for-"

"No way," said Marcus. "I haven't had a turn this term yet. The room is mine on Saturday. You guys can come back at eleven and not one minute sooner."

Outside the Gryffindor Quidditch locker room:

Marcus leaned against the wall behind the old broom closet and sighed. "I swear that prat does this deliberately," thought Marcus. "Who practices three hours in the rain? Even I'm not that obsessed." Marcus smiled to himself as he recalled the look of suppressed rage on Wood's face when he told him about the switch. With Diggory and Davies consenting to the change, Wood had to go along with it. Just like Marcus planned. That's why he asked Wood last. Gryffindors hated to look churlish. He leaned back into the darkness and waited.

Suddenly he could hear the Gryffindors tromping down the hall. Actually, it was more like squishing down the hall. They were seriously wet and cold. "How dare that prat get my Katie cold!" thought Marcus. "She better not get sick or I'm hexing him into next week." He watched as the team went into the locker room. It wouldn't be long now. The glimpse he had of Katie revealed to him that she looked tired.

In the Gryffindor Locker Room:

All Katie could hear were sighs and groans. She gingerly sat down on the bench to take off her wet boots. "Merlin, I'm so tired," thought Katie as she blushed when she remembered why she did not get that much sleep the night before.

Katie shifted her tired shoulders and winced as she took her Quidditch robes off. The girls were in their changing area and not exchanging a word. They were so tired. "Ever bone in my body hurts," thought Katie. She blushed again when she remembered getting up this morning. She had been sore in a few places that she had never been sore before and it had nothing to do with Quidditch.

She took a quick hot shower and dressed. Oliver wanted to have a strategy meeting in Gryffindor tower in a half-hour. Katie inwardly winced. Marcus was not going to be happy. Katie was relieved to see that everyone had already left the locker room. She hurried out the door and straight into Marcus's arms.

"Katie," growled Marcus. "If you had taken any longer, I was coming in and getting you, wards or no wards."

Katie leaned against Marcus's broad chest and sighed. He felt and smelt so good. He was so much larger than she was and he made her feel delicate when she was in his arms. Marcus shifted his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Katie, I know about the strategy session already,' sighed Marcus. "You have to go."

"I know," said Katie. "Hold me a little longer. We have practices all week. I won't be able to see you until after the game, Marcus."

"I wish I could steal you away and tuck you into my bed in the Slytherin dungeons. You look tired, Katie."

"Well, if you were the one tucking me into bed, I doubt I would be getting any sleep, Marcus."

"Well, I'd let you sleep first. Here let me walk you to the Tower. By the way, is that Scottish prat bothering you?"

"No, Oliver is not bothering me Marcus. Or flirting with me in case you are worried."

"Me, worried? Never."

Marcus walked Katie back to Gryffindor tower using the usual round about route through deserted corridors. Just before the picture, they stopped in one of those convenient dark alcoves.

This morning, before she caught sight of Marcus at the foot of the stairs, Katie had been shy and nervous to see him after the night they had shared. All those feelings disappeared when she saw his eyes light up when he saw her. He looked at her like Alicia said he did, like she was the only woman on Earth. That is why she had given him that passionate kiss this morning. Besides she thought hazily as Marcus kissed the pulse in her throat, she liked kissing him.

They were giving each other a series of good-bye kisses when Katie heard a loud cough right beside them. They sprang apart. Katie could hear her heart pounding as she looked around.

"Honestly Katie," said Alicia as she walked towards the picture. "I know that you and Flint are dating but get a room already. By the way, George and Fred are right behind me." Alicia disappeared into the Tower.

"Merlin," said Marcus. "She got eyes like a eagle. Before the terrible twosome get here, take this package Katie."

"What is it?"

"The new all weather Quidditch charms. I want you to use them this weekend Katie. And do not give them to Potter."

"Well what if he needs them more?"

"Katherine, I'm giving them to you not your stupid, near sighted seeker."

"Harry is not stupid!" said Katie stubbornly. "If you don't stop talking Flint, I won't show up for our date on Saturday night. By the way, where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise Bell," said Marcus. "Promise me, on your Gryffindor honor, that you will use them on yourself this weekend."

"Okay then," sighed Katie. "On my Gryffindor honor."

Marcus gave her a final hot hard kiss and he was on his way back to the Slytherin dungeons. Marcus wasn't sure how he was going to coax her into his room but he had plans that involved champagne, roses and candlelight.